Of Now and Yesterday
by Yamino Majo
Summary: [Post Game, AU] Ten years have passed since Ultimecia was defeated. Unfortunately the heroes weren't given a break. Another sorceress, another war, so what else is new? (Chapter 4 up)
1. Chapter 1 (People Angst...'cept for Selp...

Of Now and Yesterday  
A Final Fantasy 8 fanfiction by Majo-chan  
  
Notes: Post Game, AU. I own nothing and make no profit...this is my muse's idea of fun.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
***   
  
"Commander on the bridge!" one of the cadets piloting barked as the doors to the lift hissed open. The few people on the flight deck paused what they were doing and saluted smartly as the commander stepped out.   
"At ease. Sheesh, peoples! How many times do I have to tell you that's a really stupid rule?" Selphie Tilmitt said with mock grouchiness. Her cadets all snickered, used to the antics of their superior. "Oh, you think it's funny? I'll go change the rules. You know I can!" she threatened while trying not to laugh with them.   
"Ahem. Commander Tilmitt..." Selphie made a face. It was impossible to get anyone to listen these days. It's Commander Tilmitt this, Commander Tilmitt that. Not for the first time, she felt a bit sorry for Squall. He's had to do this for longer, with less help. "We're approching Balamb. A transmission for Commander Leonhart has been dispatched. Once we get the confirmation, we can land."   
Selphie nodded and looked around. The clear, extra-reinforced glass surrounding the flight deck gave her an optimal view all around, as if she was standing in the sky in her own floating island. Her own Garden. "You might want to head a bit more east. Hug the coast until we get to a beach," She smiled a bit ruefully as she instructed the pilot. "These Gardens can't even climb a small bluff, I don't want to strain the propulsion drives trying. The last thing we need is another malfunction." How she missed the Ragnarok sometimes, the freedom of being in something that was meant to own the skies. She squished down the feeling and reminded herself severely that everyone had lost something important, loved. A measly red dragon-ship is nothing to mourn over, especially compared to the lives and friendships lost.   
"Commander?"   
She shook herself out of her reverie. "Nothing, nothing." She laughed it off. "Do we know who else is coming?"   
"Well, Balamb Garden is hosting..." One of the SeeDs replied. "Besides us, Galbadia Garden. Still no sign of Centra Garden, so unless it decides to show up, just the three of us."   
"Aw...just the three Gardens." She mock-pouted. Just three Gardens, and their elite mercenary forces. She didn't even want to think too deeply of what they're going to do once they congregated. "Won't be much of a party."   
Her second in command snorted dryly. "I'm sure just your presence will be enough to make it a party."   
***   
The bar in Timber was unusually crowded today, especially considering it was still DAY, with hours to go before most of the drinkers get off from their day jobs. A man sat quietly at a corner table, as if waiting for something or someone. Timber wasn't particularly known for strange weather conditions, but the man was dressed all in black despite the warm spring air outside, and the lack of cool air conditioning within. What was stranger was the sunglasses he was wearing, even though the bar was already dim except for the gaudy neon lights used for decoration. He pushed up his sunglasses, idly taking a sip from his mug. Beer, ick. Oh, well, it was something to pass the time until his contact came and paid him.   
One of the louder drunks currently sitting at the far corner with some friends suddenly stood up and started ranting, much to the dismay of his companions. "Do you know what today is?!" He roared, face flushed as he waved his foaming mug around. "It's an an...anni-...annual..."   
"Anniversary." one of the women sitting at the table supplied.   
"Rigggggght! Annualivarsary..." The man slurred, wavering a little. "...a very special day!" One loud belch later, he continued. "Five years ago, today...The Sorceress rised...raised..."   
"Rose." This time it was a man correcting him.   
"Rose again!" He roared, pumping a fist. "An' that damned bitch be tryin' to rule over us all ag'in!" He took a deep gulp of his alcohol. "An' what happens? Nuthin! Those damned SheeDs-"   
"SeeDs."   
"Whatever! -ain't doin' nothin' to stop her! Da only one that even tried ta stop her waz Eh-Es...Esha?"   
"Esthar." Whoever was correcting him was starting to sound annoyed.   
"Eshthar." The man slurred.   
"Biggs, quit making so much racket!" the bartender complained as he came by with another round of drinks. "Wedge, please tell me you're going to drag him home sometime soon. It's barely three and he's already soused!"   
"I'm trying." The one named Wedge replied testily. "He won't listen to me."   
The man with the sunglasses tuned out the conversation, mulling over the beer. Has it really been five years already? Since the Sorceress rose again? Keeping time was never his thing, his memory was always terrible and he used to be too absentminded to notice all but the most calamitous things, like the world crashing down around his ears. Rather shameful to admit now...but yes, it's been five years.   
"Ty!" He looked up to see a stick thin man wave and start lumbering toward him. In the background Biggs was still ranting, having now moved onto the topic of the deceased Estharian president. "You're early." he remarked.   
"You're late." He replied blandly. "Trying to screw me over again, Zone?"   
"No, no..." the man was pallid. "Nothing of the sort. Didja get what I asked you to?"   
He shrugged and reached inside his black trenchcoat. Out came a few packets and random objects, most of which made Zone's eyes bug out. "Is this it?"   
"Regen Rings...and Star Fragments." Zone's voice was a low, hushed whisper as he opened the packets. "Do you have any idea how much people will pay for this??"   
"I was hoping you would know, since you'll be paying me." The man's eyes were hidden behind the glasses and long strands of midnight-black hair, but even though his smile was wide it was by no means reassuring. "So pay up so I can get going."   
Zone swallowed. "How many?"   
"One hundred of each, that was all I could carry." was the casual reply, as if taking down the monsters that usually yielded these items was a normal and tedious everyday thing. Zone nodded and reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a large wad of gil and a slip of paper.   
"Here's 50,000 gil." He swallowed when Ty's mouth thinned. "I know that's not much for what you have here, but I'll throw this into the pile." He held out the slip of paper like a peace offering.   
"This better be the ownership papers to a Garden or something, because 50 grand is NOT enough for what I gave you." Though the tone was distainful and mildly threatening, the black gloved fingers smoothed out the wrinkles in the paper carefully, curiously. There was a moment of silence as he digested the contents. "A world map?"   
"Not just any world map." Zone was quick to say. "It marks the draw points for rare spells. Flares, Meteors, even some Ultima drawpoints. Forbidden Magic is scarce these days, and these locations are priceless."   
"If these turn out to be Thunder drawpoints..." Zone sweated as the mysterious dealer seemed to weigh his options. "...then you're as good as dead, got that?"   
"Got it." He sighed. "I wouldn't trick you, Ty, you know that. These things you bring in, you can't get them here." He didn't need to mention that the items were most easily found on the higher level monsters that roamed the occupied warzone of Esthar. "And without them the Gardens and SeeDs wouldn't be able to stand against..." a quick, nervous swallow. "... the Sorceress and her lackies for long. I wouldn't risk that."   
"Does anyone from Garden know the location of these drawpoints?"   
"Of course. I got these from them."   
Ty didn't look happy, but shrugged. "I'll take it. I'll hit some of those the next time I go collecting junk for you." He stood up and slapped down enough gil to cover for his drink, and some for Zone's, if he chose to get something. "See you later then. And for heaven's sake, EAT something. You're like a stick."   
Zone managed a weak smile. "It's my stomach, always giving me trouble. And don't nag at me, you sound like a dad."   
A brief and sad smile passed the usually unreadable face. "I suppose so. It's been awhile since I had a chance to nag at my own kid." The reaction was amusing, to say the least. Zone's eyes bugged out of his thin face.   
"You're--damn, man! You've got a kid? How old are you!?" He had known Ty for...three years now? One or two years since all hell broke loose AGAIN...met the young man in black one night in here, looking to pawn off some loot. One of the SeeDs from Garden had been there with him...took one look at the items and immediately offered gil for them. And now they do this sporadically, about once every month. The man had never given his age, or where he's from, but he looked no more than twenty. Barely twenty. Of course Zone knew everyone made mistakes...had their fun in their youth, whatever. He never asked what his supplier did with the gil. Now he wondered...   
For a moment it looked as if Ty wasn't about to reply. Then he shrugged again, and smiled a bit wickedly. "Would you believe it if I said I'm turning 55 next month?" He threw over his shoulder as he left the bar.   
***   
She flipped the papers in front of her again and typed some notes into her communicator, modified to double as the equivalent of an electronic secretary. To her left, Quistis was reading her own papers, thin-lipped and tired looking, and across from her was Squall and Xu, both frowning hard enough to peel paint. "Um, guys...hate to break it to you, but these figures do not add up." She finally ventured with a sunny grin. If she had allowed Quistis to break the silence it surely would've ended in an arguement. She wasn't sure that there wouldn't be one, even now, as Squall looked up with a scowl like a dark thundercloud. He must be REALLY stressed to show his annoyance, Selphie noted. But she guessed that an annoyed and grouchy Squall was still much better than the depressed and withdrawn Squall, so kept her smile up and shrugged with cute helplessness.   
"Selphie is right." Thank goodness Quistis didn't insist on referring to her as Commander Tilmitt. "We're barely at full functionality right now. If we strain the world economy any more, there will be a total collapse. Gil will become worthless, and we'll have more problems on our hands than the inability to mount an offensive." She pushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "Even in the best case scenario, the Gardens would only remain operational for a few weeks, a month at the most."   
"So would you suggest we sit and wait?" Squall asked coldly. Selphie winced. Someone had to say it, be devil's advocate and bash them over the head with the cruel truth. Squall was just unnaturally good at it. "The economy is not going to get any better with HER sitting on a third of the world's wealth over in Esthar, and we all know it." No one mentioned the Sorceress's name in Squall's presence. "The time to strike is now. We've built our stockpiles to maximum capacity, trained all the SeeDs we could possibly get our hands on, and who knows what the Sorceress will come up with if we wait any longer."   
"Look at the damn numbers, Squall. We do _not_ have the financial capability to start a war." Quistis gritted. "At most we'd make a dent, maybe damage her palace and singe her hair. But it won't be enough, and she'll regroup. And this time she won't be stupid enough to leave any of us alive." The 'like last time' remained unspoken, but hung heavily in the air as the Commanders of Balamb and Galbadia Garden clashed wills with each other.   
The silence in the room was heavy as the tension skyrocketed. Selphie swallowed, feeling the same old heavy feeling that nagged at her stomach whenever she thought about that 'last time'. Maybe the battle hadn't been as brutal as the one with Ultimecia...but she'd rather not think of it, all the same. Squall and Quistis glared at each other, both as cold and immovable as glaciers. Or was that unstoppable? She could almost feel the temperature in the room dropping as Xu swallowed nervously.   
"Hey, hey...don't get all cold on me, peoples." Selphie placated. "Squall, Quisty's only trying to be reasonable. Quisty, you know Squall's on target about most of what he said." She took a deep breath and smiled cheerfully, although all she wanted to do was maybe cry with frustration. "I know! Squall, I know Balamb's got some sort of secret project going on. Why don't you tell us what it is, and how long it'll take to complete?" She gave their leader (she never really stopped thinking of him as THE commander, no matter what rank and title she earned herself) her most convincing look. "I don't think it's finished yet, so we can use the time between now and the completion date to plan, maybe get some money. That way we'll get the offensive AND some more funding for it."   
Silence. Selphie started to think that she'd made the wrong call and that her intelligence was wrong about the secret project. Then Quistis spoke up. "Yes...I was wondering why there was such a large amount of funding requested by Cid for Balamb." her tone was without censure though her words could be taken the wrong way. "It couldn't've ALL been for Zell's hotdogs." She joked with a small smile. The tension lessened and Squall slumped a little in his seat, looking less cold, and more tired.   
Finally, Squall started talking. "After...last time," He swallowed. "When we first fought the Sorceress, after Ultimecia, everyone lost something, or someone important." The young man rubbed his scar tiredly. "We can't replace the lives, but we can rebuild hardware. Zell and I worked out a contract with the Shumi in hiding. As you know, the Shumi, and the technicians we rescued from Fisherman's Horizon, are the only source of technology we have right now that can even begin to rival Esthar's." Quistis tapped on the desk impatiently with a pen and Squall got the hint and went to the point. "It'll take at least another month to complete...but we've managed to work with the blueprints..."   
"Just tell us what it is already!" Quistis said with mock anger as Selphie held her breath. Blueprints. She helped with blueprints once. Squall looked at her and she felt a jolt of surprise at the uncertainty in his eyes.   
"We're calling it the Tiamat...like you suggested, Selphie." He finally said. "It won't be red, too obvious if we need to do recon missions--" He was cut off by Selphie's squeal of joy and the blur of brown and yellow that leapt at him in a bear hug. The next minute found him glomped by a very excited Selphie and under the amused and approving gaze of Quistis. "--so it'll be some non-descript color but it'll have the same capabilities as the Ragnarok. Selphie, let go, I can't breathe."   
"Idon'tbelieveityou'vebuiltmeanotherRagnarok??????? Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Xu smothered a snicker as her Commander tried unsuccessfully to restrain an excited Selphie Tilmitt. Or at least, pry her off his person. "That's soooooooo sweet! I get to fly again! For REAL!" Quistis joined in on the snickers. Squall felt mortified and strangely proud of himself at the same time. An odd set of emotions to be having, to be sure. It was...nice, to do something that could make someone else so happy.   
It had been so long since he'd felt anything...   
"Ahem." His cold mask reasserted itself. "We'll take your proposal in consideration, Commander Tilmitt. We'll discuss this further later, until then, the meeting is adjourned."   
***   
End chapter 1   
  
Approximate timeline:   
In years:   
-17: Squall Leonhart born.   
0: Ultimecia is defeated.   
+2: Centra Garden built, Trabia Garden repaired.   
+5: The Sorceress reappears. Esthar is ravaged and taken under her control. Centra Garden goes MIA in the ensuing battle between Sorceress and Garden.   
+6: Selphie Tilmitt is appointed the position of Commander of Trabia Garden. Quistis Trepe is appointed the position of Commander of Galbadia Garden. Zone meets Ty.   
+10: Tiamet reconstructed. Major offensive on the Sorceress and the City of Esthar planned.   



	2. Chapter 2 (Ooh, angst...and Kareoke)

Of Now and Yesterday   
a Final Fantasy 8 Fanfiction by Majo-chan   
Notes: Same as chapter one. I own nothing. Muse is still having fun with this, strange...  
Much thanks for the reviews. *stops self from begging for more* Yeah...whatever.^_^   
  
Chapter 2   
**   
"Do you know what day it is?" Selphie looked up from her lunch of salad and a ham sandwich. Quistis looked even more serious than usual from across the lunch table. Squall was still in line for food, having left the meeting later than the other two women. Being commander of the Garden came with certain privilages, but Selphie guessed that priority in the lunch line wasn't one of them.   
"Er...Tuesday?" She ventured, taking a sip of her orange juice after swallowing her mouthful. Quistis gave her a meaningful look and Selphie sighed. "Quisty, why are you bringing it up now? Squall's gonna be here any minute and he won't want to hear about this." Their commander still retained the ability, even after ten years, to be absolutely anal about things he can't afford to be anal about. He's mellowed out in other places...she and the others had done their best to support him after the incident...five years ago, today. It was gratifying to see that it had paid off, more or less.   
"Heyyyyyyyy! It's Quisty and Selfie!" The Commanders of the Gardens, and also most of the other cafeteria patrons, turned to see a spiky-haired blond instructor come toward them. Bounced, more like. Zell Dincht was radiating excitement as he set his tray down and plopped himself into a seat. "I haven't seen you guys in, like, FOREVER! What are you doing here?"   
"Top secret meetings, Zell." Squall said dryly from behind the martial artist, holding his own lunch tray. " Very top secret. That was my seat, you know?"   
"Sorry man, I'll pull up another one." Squall waved that off and indicated that Zell should keep his seat. The commander grabbed another one from a side table and seated himself. Zell took the opportunity to continue. "Hey, this calls for a party, man! Both Quisty and Selfie are here!"   
"Ooh! Party!" Selphie gushed. "It'll just be the thing!" Squall shot her a don't-even-think-about-it glare and she gulped. "Please?"   
"Maybe not something large, Selfie." Quistis soothed. "But a little get together? Just the four of us?"   
"Yeah! It's been forever since I saw the gals, man!" Zell nodded.   
They all looked beseeching at Squall. Squall stared back.   
"Just the four of us. Just a few hours, because we all have to get up early tomorrow." He finally agreed.   
**   
He threw the few belongings he had into the beaten duffel bag. The gil he secured in an inside pocket, zipping it closed then locking it. There was enough to get him to either Northern Centra or Southern Esthar...he wasn't sure where he was headed for yet, just that he'll end up there somewhere over there sometime. Zone's unexpectedly low payment meant that he'll have to find someway to fund his return to the Galbadian continent. He absently nudged his sunglasses up, there weren't a lot of monsters that yielded good stuff on this continent. Unless he went into the Tomb of the Unknown King, where there were some interesting monsters...then again, that place was impossible to navigate, even WITH a map. He scratched his head, then decided against it. His former area of expertise was getting hopelessly lost.   
"Might as well head for Centra first." He muttered, hauling the bag up to his shoulders and picking up his weapon with his free hand. The long-barreled, high-powered Exeter...he was more comfortable with standard issue weapons of mass destruction, but had to admit that the trouble he went through to get the components for the gun was worth it. It had taken him nearly a year to get the items, another two to completely get used to the gun itself. But now he felt naked and vulnerable without it tucked away somewhere in the folds of his trenchcoat.   
Random junk was thrown away as he tried tidying up the cheap hotel room a bit before he left. "Keys, keys...where are the damn keys..." He fumbled around the dresser, then checked his pockets. An unfamiliar lump in his back pants pocket demanded to be checked out, so he pulled out the small package, wrapped in creased paper. He took one look at it and had to squish the urge to put it away again. "Why the hell not..." he murmured. "It IS an anniversary, after all."   
The papers were unfolded to reveal a few items wrapped within. Carefully, he picked up a gold engraved woman's locket on a delicate chain, gently depressing the catch so that the two oval halves opened to the photos inside. One half held an old, faded picture. The three people smiled at the camera, the man and woman grinning from ear to ear as the little girl waved enthusiastically. A moment of perfect happiness and peace captured in still.   
The other half held a more recent photo. It was still almost ten years old, but the colors didn't look so faded. A young man in black, standing with a young woman with a green shawl. The woman was smiling, one hand raised to push a lock of her hair out of her face. But the young man was glaring at the camera in silent defiance.   
He snapped the locket closed, shaking his head. Anniversary indeed. Without another glance at it, he set the locket back on top of the dogtags and wrapped everything back up, stuffing it in his back pocket again. He stood up, then hmphed. The keys to the room were on the bed, where he was just sitting.   
"So that's where the damn keys were..."   
***   
Selphie had Zell help out on the way to Squall's rooms. Since Squall is the Commander, it made sense to have their reunion there, because his quarters are quite easily the largest quarters in Balamb Garden, except for maybe Cid's. The petite young woman was holding a trayful of snacks as Zell hauled assorted drinks. Quistis and Squall had been working all day and Selphie planned to surprise them with food and drinks to relax with. When she rang the bell though, it took a few minutes for Squall to answer.   
"Wh--Selphie? You're early." But he backed from the door to let them in. "I thought we agreed that it was just the four of us. What is all this food for?" He asked a bit dryly as the more energetic two of their little group pranced in.   
"The four of us, of course!" Selphie replied. "You and Quistis are such work-a-holics! You've gotte relax sometime! I've got some drinks here too. Soda, beer, wine...if you want warm stuff, I have Selphie's Special Cocoa mix!" She brandished the packets. "They're good for you!" Zell set the drinks down and gestured for Squall to sit down.   
"Just go along with it." He whispered to their slightly overwhelmed leader. "Selfie's been planning this since lunch." Raising his voice, he continued, " She even talked the cafeteria into preparing some hot dogs for take-out. See?"   
"Zell! Don't eat all the hot dogs!" Selphie was ready to continue her scolding but was distracted by the bell again. "That's Quisty!" Squall didn't know whether to smile or sigh as the hyperactive young woman skipped off to answer the door. He was dead tired, but he didn't want to begrudge Selphie of their party, or time together. Zell was right, it had been forever since they last had time to do things like this.   
"Squall." The tall, blonde woman nodded as she came in, looking tired but smiling. Zell also scurried to welcome her, and the former instructor laughed at his antics. "What's the occasion?" She teased as she sat down on newly-fluffed throw pillows. Zell served her some cookies.   
"There is no occasion, man! Ma always told me I'm supposta be nice toward ladies." The tatooed martial artist winked. "Selphieeeeeeeee! You got some of that hot cocoa ready?"   
"In a sec!" Selphie called from the kitchen. She emerged a moment later with steaming mugs. "One for each of you..." Quistis took a cup, then stopped and looked in surprise. "Like them? These are new cups! I got one for each of us!" Selphie handed cups full of cocoa to everyone. "Quisty got the one with the cute Queen on it...Zell's got the one with writing--that reads 'martial artist' by the way--and Squall's got the lion!" Selphie took her own cup, a mug with a kitten on it, grinning widely as everyone seemed to be examining their gift with fascination. Squall looked up from his cartoon-lion cup and raised an eyebrow at her, and she merely snickered and shrugged.   
"Thank you, Selphie." Quistis finally said, smiling. "This is a wonderful gift."   
"Yeah! This is really cool!"   
Selphie shuffled her feet in embarassment a little, before plopping herself down on the ground beside Quistis. "I hope so...see, I was gonna get you _meaningful_ gifts," She winked at that and they all laughed. "But I figure, this is cute, and I know we all drink waaaaaaaaaaay too much coffee than is good for us. If we use these mugs, then we'll see them everyday, and be reminded of each other and tonight." They all stared at her and she laughed nervously. "Sounds kinda lame now, that I say it out loud."   
"No!" Zell protested. "Not at all. Man, that's moving!"   
Quistis nodded. "Selphie, it's a wonderful thought."   
Squall remained silent, but it wasn't the cold, stand-offish silence that had them so worried, five years ago. It was a more comfortable, accepting silence. Selphie met his eyes and looked to make sure he wasn't angry or offended, and he looked back calmly, with a hint of a smile.   
Quistis held up her cup. "A toast." She called. Silence fell in the room. "To those loved and lost...friends gone but not forgotten." Selphie closed her eyes and recited a silent list, one that she knew by heart, each named etched painfully in her heart forever. Irvine. Rinoa. Edea. Laguna. Ward. Kiros. Nida. Countless people in Esthar, in Garden, when they first tried to oppose the new Sorceress. "To us, for surviving, for carrying on their memories." Quistis's voice was shaking, but only a little. "To the future."   
They all murmured their assent and drank their hot cocoa in the toast. Squall's expression was closing off, and Selphie knew that the speech had hit a soft spot. After the moment of silence, she decided to brighten things. up. "Come on, peoples! Don't be so doom-and-gloom! Why don't we take turns on the catching up? Zell, tell us what's going on in your classes, I heard the new cadets are quite a handful!"   
And so the little gathering continued on a more light-hearted note...at least until someone suggested kareoke.   
****   
"Wheeeeeeew...." He huffed as he stepped onto the rocky barren lands of Western Centra. The sea breeze was cool against his skin but he knew that wouldn't last long once he started heading inland. Oh, well...he wasn't affected by the hot or cold enough for it to be a problem, even as wrapped up as he was. The area looked familiar and he turned around, squinting into the distance. Was that...a lighthouse? He nudged down his sunglasses to see better, though the sunlight made him wince. Oh, he remembered this place now.   
It took him about an hour on foot to reach the ruins of the lighthouse. Once he was close enough, he saw that the place was abandoned, but not quite ruined. When his polite knock went unanswered, he turned the knob and went in. The stone walls and floor felt extra chilly even compared to the cool outside and he shivered. So many phantoms seem to haunt this place, whispers of children's laughter echoed in the hollow rooms. There were reminders, here and there, of what this place once was: a few pieces of rotting wood that was once a bunk bed, broken toy cars and wood blocks, and headless dolls. He closed his eyes and remembered the one time he had been here. So many, many years ago. Memory floated up to the surface...a tall, elegant woman with long, black hair, radiating quiet love and warmth. Holding the hand of the little girl, carrying the baby boy in her other arm. The mental image was wavery, as if he had committed it to memory even as tears filled his eyes.   
After a moment, he shook his head. As tempting as the idea was, to take shelter here and rest up for his trek across Centra, and eventually into Esthar, he couldn't bring himself to stay here longer than absolutely necessary. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't even sure what made him come. What a waste of time.   
His mood got more foul as he left. Once out of sight of the ocean, the breeze died down and the air started getting warmer. Most people, if they had been heading for the other end of the continent on foot and wrapped up in black clothing, would've toppled over within the first half-hour from heat stroke. He just got a little warm and more cranky. To top off his increasingly bad mood, it seemed his ability to get hopelessly lost still worked once in awhile, and he found himself approaching an unfamiliar seaside. The sun was still high enough in the sky that he couldn't tell which side of the continent he was on, though it was positive he wasn't on either the western or eastern ones. So that left the northern and southern sides...He watched the waves slam against the high bluffs in all their frothing glory, but could see no islands anywhere in sight. Unless he was very, very far up north, where the smaller islands and inlets weren't visible from the northern coast, he's at the southern end of Centra.   
Sighing, he started walking again. If he followed the edge of the ocean, he should end up at a familiar beach _somewhere_...   
***   
"Is that you, my Knight?" the feminine purr cut through the dark silence of early morning. The tall, muscular shadow at the edge of the door paused, then moved into view. The Sorceress looked up from beneath her long bangs, and smiled coyly at him. He felt sickened by the expression. He hadn't known the sorceress from before she became what she is now-- Evil. Twisted. Corrupted. As his rival loved to say, 'whatever'--but it never failed to make his stomach protest.   
"Yes." He gritted. Hyne, he hated it here. Hated having to ask. "Where are they?"   
"Who?" She asked innocently, sitting up in the large, opulent bed, the first light of the sun streaming through the tall windows to illuminate her beautiful face and figure. "Who could you possibly be concerned about, except for me, my Knight?" He fought the urge to sneer at her. "Ah, yes." Her serene, pretty face twisted with malice. "Your _friends_." She spat out. "What care do you have for them? You are my Knight, I am your Sorceress. That should be the only thing that you care about!"   
Maybe it was the stress of the past few years breaking, maybe it was the fact that he hadn't seen his friends in almost two months and he was sick with dread that she had already killed them without telling him. Maybe he was just too damn fed up with this whole Knight-Sorceress bullshit. Whatever it was, his temper got the better of him and he retorted before he thought too much. "I care a shitload more for them than I do for you, bitch! I have no fucking idea why you thought I would make a good Knight for you, but you're dead wrong. I'm sick and tired of you and I want out NOW!"   
The sorceress stared at the tip of the bladed weapon pointed at her, then her amber eyes--he didn't know what color they were before her transformation--rose to meet his. She smiled.   
"Go ahead." She said simply. "The first step you take outside this door will signal the doom of your precious _friends_." She sneered at the horrified and angry expression on his scarred face. That was her ace in the hole, besides simply killing him outright, which she could not do if she wanted to have a Knight, desirable or not, around. "If you do care so much for them, then it would be wise for you to not cross me." She warned, leaning back on her bed, licking her lips. "You are a most unsatisfactory knight, my dear...but since you are all I have, you will have to do."   
He gritted his teeth. His pride was bruised from the observation but he knew she was right. Yet he couldn't help but throw a barb right back at her. "What's the matter, my _dear_ sorceress?" He sneered. "Are all the _satisfactory_ knights all scared off by your putrid stink?" She stiffened and hissed at him, and he couldn't stop himself from digging deeper. "Didn't you know loads of Knight candidates? Yes, your precious _uncle_ and _brother_," He leered, the expression twisting his scar. "Too bad they can't stand the _thing_ you've become." She leapt out of the bed, snarling. He felt nails rake across his face as she swiped at him with fingers curled like claws.   
"You don't understand ANYTHING!" she screeched as she sent a wave of force crashing into his head, crushing his will with hers. He fought, as he always did. The connection between the Knight and the Sorceress was supposed to be one of mutual support, mutual benefit. He managed to make it a meaningless, bitter battle for dominance every single time. He always lost, but that wasn't the point. Before, he didn't even bother fighting, he even welcomed the enforced obedience...now he could claim that he had finally grown a true, honest-to-goodness, goddamned annoying backbone to stand up to Her powers. And damned if he wasn't proud of it. As his mind sank blissfully into unconsciousness, he thought he heard her enraged scream, then her cries.   
Always, she called for others. The one she truly wanted to be her Knight.   
Never him. Seifer Almasy was no one's Knight, and certainly no one's Pawn.   
***   
Selphie dreamed.   
It was a quiet, happy dream that made her wake up with a smile. She was glad that it wasn't a nightmare about what happened years ago. Although most of them had managed to put things behind them, sometimes the vividness of one nightmare was enough to undo countless efforts of self-control. She knew Squall suffered the most from them, a part of him--the part that invariably blamed himself for every single thing that goes wrong--probably still felt lingering guilt. Selphie knew there was nothing any of them could have done to save the ones that had died. By the time the Ragnarok had gotten to the flame-engulfed Esthar, the presidential palace--where Laguna must've been--was already leveled. It was all rubble and debris, and mangled dead bodies. They had battled...but they had not battled wholeheartedly. They couldn't.   
And after Irvine and Rinoa fell, there was no choice but to flee.   
What if they had stood their ground? Selphie got out of bed and went to the window, where soft light was filtering through from Balamb Garden's propulsion drive. Would they have been able to beat back...the Sorceress? Not back then, for sure. It was different from the battle with Ultimecia. With Ultimecia, they had things to fight for--people they loved, places they wanted to return to--it made them unstoppable, deadly. Grim and determined, they had refused to bow to death and inevitable fate, and somehow emerged victorious against an enemy that most called invincible.   
But back then it was different...none of them were resolute, none of them were determined. They were all hopelessly confused and heartbroken, unable to figure out the why of what was going on. If they had stayed and attempted to battle to the death...then it really would've been the end for all of them. And without knowing the reason behind the new Sorceress's actions, they could not bring themselves to fight wholeheartedly, to kill for victory.   
And so they had lost terribly, paid a high price for their hesitation in lives.   
And there still was that question left unanswered.   
"Why, Sis?" Selphie asked the dark quiet of the night, knowing that she will get no answer.   
***   
End chapter 2 


	3. Chapter 3 (No one is staying dead, darn ...

Of Now and Yesterday   
A FF8 fanfiction by Majo-chan   
  
Notes: Same as chapter 1&2. Still post game, still AU.   
  
Chapter 3   
  
***   
  
Night fell quietly in Centra, the last rays of the dying sun gradually leaving the barren wasteland that composed of the continent, allowing the shadows to lengthen and consume the ground. The last of the sun gleamed off a rather strange, golden diamond-shaped structure in the ruins of the wilderness. And now he stood in front of the faintly glowing sign with its curved, strangely elegant writing marking this place as 'My Blue Heaven'. The man in black made a little humming noise and looked at the stairs winding up. The place felt...strange, but not dangerous, exactly. There was an air of ancient wisdom and power around here that he hadn't felt since...well, since a considerably long amount of time ago. But it felt faded enough that he was relatively sure that there wouldn't be any random encounters with angry Guardian Forces. With a grunt, he hefted his bag up higher and decided to take a chance and spend the night here.   
By the time he reached the first level, it was already almost full-dark. The options of just camping here versus going up what seemed like fairly unsteady stairs into the dark unknown were carefully weighed for all of two seconds. He wasn't afraid of the dark, just his other innate ability to find some hole or another and fall into it. And that usually resulted in broken bones, usually all the bones in his body. Ouch, much safer to just camp here, yes.   
As he chewed his meager dinner in front of a small fire, he pondered on his next course of action. A whole day of walking had gotten him pretty close to Northern Centra. All that was left was the desert, and then from there he could either stay on the continent for a bit longer and hit up some monsters, or head for Esthar.   
Esthar...once a beautiful, advanced city that was built by technology far more advanced than that of the other continents, rich and influential and fair, now crushed under a Sorceress's heel in a shattered shadow of its former glory. The continent was forever bathed in the red tint of the Lunar Cry, and monsters roamed both the city and the wilds. The Sorceress did nothing to stem the population of demons wandering the place...she encouraged them to wreck havoc. He forced himself to not think too deeply about it, the memories there were not pleasent either. With a derisive snort, he wondered just WHAT he could think about that wasn't some unpleasent memory or another, his pleasent memories seem to be lacking nowadays.   
But Esthar was unavoidable. He had planned to visit the continent eventually anyway, so he might as well get it over with. He let the campfire burn low and made himself comfortable against a small niche in the ruins of the temple level he was on. Closing his eyes, he let himself fall into a light sleep. What else was there to do on the Estharian continent?   
I know...He thought right before he nodded off completely. I can visit Rinoa...   
  
***   
  
Selphie was doing paperwork with Squall in his office when Xu came in, holding a folder and with a visitor in tow. Squall set down his own work as he took the folder from Xu and gestured for the visitor to take a seat. Selphie tilted her head to one side and frowned a little as she tried to remember where she had seen this man before. He looked...familiar, somehow.   
"What brings you here today, Zone?" Squall asked as he opened the folder and glanced at the contents. "Making your usual drop-offs?" Selphie's mind went Ah-ha! and immediately dug up the memory of their time in Timber, so long ago. Zone...one of the Timber Owls, part of Rinoa's resistance group to free the city of Timber from Galbadian rule. He looked awfully thin though, but she kept quiet.   
"Yes, Commander Leonhart." the man was a little fidgety and nervous. "And...um...You mentioned, when I first took up this job for you, that you would want to know if something special or unique turned up..." Squall looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Er...something turned up that I thought you might want to know."   
Selphie watched with interest as the man took out two packages and set them on the desk, opening them carefully. She hmphed when she saw the contents. "Regen Rings and Star Fragments. And a few Malboro Tentacles and Energy Crystals." She mused thoughtfully.   
"Whoever got these must have paid Esthar a visit." Squall murmured, fingering a Regen Ring. "Is this what you wanted to tell me, Zone?"   
"Actually...no. I've known that he gets these from Esthar, for awhile, anyway. Didn't want to cross him, seeing as how he could take down the monsters that carry these things..."   
"Him? Him who?" Selphie asked, curious. Even though she had seen these items before--still have a small stash, actually-- she was intrigued by the idea that someone else had been able to beat enough monsters to obtain so many.   
"Don't know his real name, but the man goes by Ty. He's been supplying me with these for almost two years now." Zone explained. "But that's not the real odd thing...though I suppose that one man taking down all these monsters IS odd. I only gave him 50,000 gil for these here, and a map of draw-points, and he didn't slit my throat on the spot." Selphie gave the nerve-wrecked man a sympathetic glance. Lately the suppliers have been getting more and more violent as the financial situations worsened. The Gardens and armies still needed the raw supplies of rare items, but have been unable to pay as much as before. Naturally many go-betweens suffered the consequences. "What's more odd...right before he left he said something strange. He told me that he was turning 55 next month."   
Selphie wrinkled her nose. "Poor man. Isn't he a bit old to go monster hunting?"   
"That's the _really_ strange thing." Zone answered, looking a bit bewildered. "He doesn't look old. In fact, he looks about Commander Leonhart's age, maybe a bit younger." He shook his head. "And it's not just his face, though I've never seen his eyes. The way he moves isn't like an older man, either. And if he's really fifty something, then he would've been burnt out by the monster hunting months ago. This line of business requires some incredible endurance."   
"You are sure he wasn't just joking with you?" Squall asked, with his eyes narrowed. Selphie knew what he was thinking about the possible connections that this might have to the Sorceress.   
"He...he sounded like he was joking, but he was serious, I think. We were talking about kids, actually. He has a kid, and that's why I asked him how old he was, since he didn't look much older than a kid himself."   
"Hmm..." Squall leaned back in his seat and got a small frown on his face, which meant that he was considering what to do next. "We'll take this under consideration. Zone, I'll need you to put down all the information you have on this man, where he might be, etc. Xu, please show him how to do that on the Garden's computers." Taking that as a subtle dismissal, Zone and Xu left the office. Selphie waited for Squall to say something, but her commander just frowned at the papers in front of him, a rather blank expression on his face.   
"You don't think this has something to do with the Sorceress?" She finally asked, keeping her tone casual and light.   
"There is a possibility that this is some sort of joke, Selphie."   
"But you don't think it is." She shot back."If you did you would've just blown Zone off with a 'whatever' right at the beginning." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "But the only way that we can be sure, is to find this person Zone was talking about." She went back to her paperwork. "I can have some of my people look into it, if you want."   
Trabia Garden was renowned for its information network, one that kept abreast of all the things, peoples, and events of the world. Coupled with Quistis Trepe and Squall Leonhart's incredible minds for strategy and training, the three Gardens had managed to shore up the Sorceress at the Estharian continent.   
"Thanks." Squall muttered. "I'll talk to Quistis about this, and she'll help you. Once we get some definite information regarding this man, we can make the final decision on whether or not to approach him."   
"Just 'approach'?" Selphie replied. "What are you going to do if he has nothing to do with the Sorceress?"   
Squall gave the packets on his desk a meaningful look. For just one person to be able to take down the amount of monsters needed to get this many items, he would be invaluable as a SeeD. But all he said was, "We'll see."   
  
***   
  
"Finally!" He huffed as he found himself within sight of the Estharian continent by mid-morning. The deserts he had walked through today were as unpleasent as he remembered them, and walking around dressed in black didn't help matters any. A shower was definitely on the list of things to do once he reached some shelter, and he planned on emptying his shoes of sand as soon as he get a chance to sit down. And because of the necessary trek through the desert, he got more Cactuar Thorns than he wanted. A few Chimeras jumped him too, and he hefted the small stash of Water Crystals he got from them. Well, it was good warm-up exercise, he supposed. Not to mention he loaded up on Water spells in case he found himself having to trek through the desert again.   
It took him another few hours to reach the actual continent, via a small boat that he had stashed away for just that purpose. Some sneaking was involved because the borders were closed, but not even the City had enough soldiers to patrol the coast of a whole continent. Usually the monsters served just as well in that respect. After he landed and secured the boat, he set out. He headed north-east toward the city of Esthar, but was mindful to give it a wide berth. The continent of Esthar was rather flat and bare, and it wasn't easy to hide from unwanted watchers if he wandered too close to the City where the Sorceress resided. He made a note to attempt to get to the Lab after dark, until then, he passed time killing monsters.   
It was boring, hot work. Mostly he ran into Torama/Imp pairs, with the occasional Iron Giant. Silence worked wonders on the first, and Meltdowns on the second. Sometimes he had to fight from snickering as the monsters try to cast magic after being Silenced, and he had to wonder if he got a sadistic streak in him after all. After picking through about a dozen corpses of defeated monsters, he had enough, both of the monster hunting and of the items, for today. "Argh.......I want dinner...and a bed..." he whined to himself as he glared balefully at the setting sun as it went down way too slowly for his tastes. He glared harder, as if it would help the sun go down faster. The sun did no such thing, of course, so he rested up in the shadows of one of the ledges. Once dark fell upon Esthar, he'll have until sunrise to find find Odine's lab.   
  
***   
  
Step. Sidestep, swing. Duck, fall back. Sidestep, pivot, swing. Defend, swing again.   
*Crack!*   
"Ow, Selphie!"   
Selphie danced back, nunchaku in hands, a sheepish expression on her face. The blond martial artist she was sparring with was sitting on the training mat on his rump, and rubbing a hand over his chin, working his jaw as if making sure it was still attached. "Sorry, Zell." She apologized as the students watched her give him a hand up. "That was a dirty trick on my part, I got too used to the no-holds-barred type of training we got at Trabia."   
"No, no..." Zell gave his students a thumbs up. "Sometimes you gotta fight dirty to win, ya?" He accepted her hand up. "That, kids, was a beautifully executed move. Lure the enemy in with a fake fall-back, and when they come in, then WHAM! You got them good!" Selphie rolled her eyes at Zell's exaggerated enthusiasm.   
"C'mon Zell, you can show them the counterattack, hmm?" she said, dropping back into position. "Show me whatcha got!" The students cheered and whistled. Selphie grinned and if her weapon didn't require the use of both hands, she would've waved too. Zell bounced on his feet a bit before coming in with a combo, kicking and punching up a storm. Selphie yelped and somehow managed to block, even got a swing and a jab in before she got enough distance between them to square off. The two sparred back and forth, Selphie demonstrating the effective reach and power of her weapon while Zell showed off the versatility of martial arts.   
Before either one could get another hit in though, an announcement came through the intercom. "Will Commander Selphie Tilmitt, Commander Quistis Trepe and Instructor Zell Dincht please report to the Headmaster's office please. I repeat, will Commander Selphie Tilmitt and ..."   
"The Headmaster's office?" Zell wondered outloud as they both backed off and dropped out of fighting stance. "What'd Cid want with us?" He scratched his head, perplexed.   
"I have no clue...but you'd better either end this class, or find someone to substitute, and quick. If I remember correctly, if we're not in there in five minutes they'll start the call again." Selphie said, wrinkling her pert nose. "C'mon, c'mon..." She conjoled the students as a few protested. Zell waded in to quiet them down.   
After the matter of the students was settled, Zell and Selphie left the training center and headed for the elevators. The machinery whirred softly as they went up to the third floor, the ride quiet for the most part, both of them considering what Cid might want. After the doors hissed open, the two bounced toward the office.   
Cid and Squall were both already there, the Headmaster sitting at his desk, their Commander leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest in his favorite waiting position. Selphie gave their commander a confused look as Zell blurted out, "so what's going on?"   
"Where's Quistis?" Cid was the one that spoke, much to their surprise. He looked tired and worn, even more than usual. Selphie knew that Edea was onboard Centra Garden when it went missing. It had been missing for five years, and no one can find it. Not even with the contacts she had formed with Trabia Garden's intelligence could she find anything about the missing Garden. The toll on Cid was painful to watch, but they all had to see him age overnight, wracked with fear and doubt about his beloved's safety. Selphie felt a pang of pity. At least Squall knew that Laguna and Rinoa were gone. At least she knew that Irvine was resting in a better place, beyond pain. Not knowing if Edea was dead or alive, or taken prisoner, must have been terrible for Cid. "I...have an announcement to make. I think it'd be better if we waited until everyone's here."   
"All right." Selphie nodded.   
"Make yourselves comfortable."   
It took a few moments for Quistis to appear, looking a bit flustered, with her hair damp. Zell raised a curious eyebrow and she explained. "Training center, grats. I was in the shower when the announcement came in." She took a deep breath. "So, what's up?"   
Cid motioned for all of them to sit down, and with the exception of Squall, they all did. The four looked at the Headmaster of Balamb expectantly. He seemed to falter a bit under the weight of their scrutiny, but rallied and spoke in a clear, firm voice. "This morning, we received a scrambled and encoded transmission from parts unknown, somewhere off the northern coast of Winter Island of Trabia." He took a deep breath as Selphie made a startled noise. "It took us a while to decode it, but the fact that the encryption was done with a program that the Gardens used for inter-Garden Security simplified the matters quite a bit."   
"But for the encryption to be of that type, that means the transmission came from a Garden..." Quistis breathed, her blue eyes widening a bit as realization dawned.   
"Yes." Cid nodded, and the barest hint of a smile that made him look ten years younger. Selphie made a small excited squeal. "The transmission came from Centra Garden. They...they're requesting permission to join the meeting, and to drop off a VIP."   
"..." Even Squall's expression changed, from his usual stoic facade to something slightly hopeful. "...Matron?" Selphie wasn't sure who breathed it, but the question was asked.   
Cid's smile was wide. "She'll be here tomorrow."   
  
***   
End chapter 3.   
End notes: ...no, dammit no one is STAYING dead!^_^;;;; *goes to yell at her muse*   



	4. Chapter 4 (we're getting some plot, I th...

Of Now and Yesterday   
a Final Fantasy 8 fanfic by Majo-chan   
Chapter 4   
Notes: still AU, still post game.   
In reply to questions: This is more post-game than AU, but since I will be introducing some magic in later battles that isn't exactly canon to FFVIII (rather, it is more similar to the magic in FFX), I thought I might mark it as AU to start with. Basically, I'm covering myself for any future weirdness.  
Irvine, Irvine, Irvine...dunno if he'll come back, but almost everyone else did, so I wouldn't be surprised. I didn't plan it, but that's never stopped my muse before. *grumble grumble*  
  
  
*****   
  
There was no getting used to waking up after clashing wills with his Sorceress. It was like having a hangover, except ten times worse, and he didn't even have the pleasure of being drunk off his ass the night before. All and all it was a fucked up deal and he wasn't too happy with it.   
  
The stream of thought indicated that his brain was functional, which meant he was awake. What woke him anyway? Seifer tried rolling over, succeeding only in groaning faintly as his head pounded and threatened to explode. Thankfully, the pillow beneath his head was soft and comfortable, and it was a nice place to rest as he tried to not throw up. Hm, he was in a bed. That's an improvement, he noted. Usually he woke up to the hard floor of his quarters in the place that was formerly the Presidential Palace of Esthar, feeling as if someone had dragged his unconscious ass from the Sorceress's room to his and then dumped him there without bothering to go the extra five steps to his bed. Being the Knight didn't give him any preferential treatment, obviously. More reason to believe that this job sucked.   
  
No, this time he was in a bed. And it was, if his nose wasn't going insane, a very feminine smelling bed. A nice combination of vanilla and some sort of flowery scent. For a moment he wondered if he was in the Sorceress's bed...but dismissed the notion before it could cause him unwanted panic. No...this feminine scent was familar.   
  
"SEIFER. AWAKE?" He couldn't quite name the feeling that overwhelmed him at that moment when he heard that voice. It was something terribly strong, though.   
  
"Maybe." The conversation was muffled through the door, but still as familiar as ever. "I didn't hear a peep outta him for the entire night, ya know? I sure hope he's wakin' up now, cuz if not then the bitch probably really killed him...Ouch!" There was a hard thump and some very creative cursing.   
  
"SHUT UP. CHECK SEIFER."   
  
Seifer fought the urge to laugh hysterically. All that came out was a thin rasp, hm, vocal cords still not quite functional, it seemed. But his eyes opened obediently when he ordered them to and he was greeted with the best thing he had a chance to see in the longest time.   
  
Fujin was rolling her eye with exasperation and impatience as Raijin limped in, still rubbing his sore leg where she undoubtedly kicked him and giving her a petulant glare. Both of their attentions turned to him though when he coughed dryly.   
  
"Hey guys." Oh, good, his voice worked now. He grinned weakly. "what's up?"   
  
**   
  
It was finally, blissfully dark. He glanced up at the sky and smiled. Even the moon was cooperating and hiding her face behind dark clouds. Esthar was shining, gem-like, in the distance even as he made for the north-west, hugging the sheer cliffs and the fences that surrounded that side of the continent. He moved quickly and quietly, taking the utmost care to avoid the night-time predators that wander the wilds around Esthar. It wouldn't be hard for him to win an encounter, but it might attract unwanted attention.   
  
A couple of hours passed before he made it mostly around Esthar to where he hoped Odine's lab was. The eccentric scientist had gone into hiding when the Sorceress took over Esthar, but he could not leave his labs and research behind. Fortunately, the Sorceress seemed to have no interest in Odine and by the time she noticed that he was still alive, he had managed to relocate his things to his underground research facilities. Whether or not the Sorceress knew of their location (most of them were close enough to his original labs outside Esthar that it didn't really count as a relocation) remained unknown, but if she did know she wasn't doing anything about it.   
  
Too bad for her. One of the people that she was desperately seeking, one widely believed to be dead, was hiding in Odine's labs. One Rinoa Heartilly right under the Sorceress's nose. Who said that Hyne didn't have a sense of humor?   
  
Bah, he scolded himself. Concentrate.   
  
The entrances to the lab weren't hard to find, if you knew where to look for them. As strange and eccentric as Odine was, the man was a fanatic about his precious research and did his best to protect it. Odine was no professional when it comes to planning for defense of a large organization, but he was a dedicated scientist. So at least most of the entrances were, in addition to being well hidded, well protected too.   
  
"Damn, he just had to put it here...ahhhh!' He yelped muffledly as he lost his footing on bare rock. Once again, he almost broke his neck falling down a hole somewhere, though he had at least learned to do it more quietly this time. One muted thump, lots of muttered curses and a very bruised tailbone later, he found himself in one of the hollowed out caverns hidden in the cliffside of the strange outcrops on the Estharian continent. Rubbing his back and limping slightly, he made his way to one of the niches half hidden behind a random boulder and took off the leather glove on his right hand. Reaching _around_ the giant rock, he managed to snake an arm in and press his hand down on the hidden sensor pad. It beeped and made a whirring noise as it scanned his hand. "C'mon, move it..." He muttered under his breath.   
  
//Identity confirmed. Clearance: level 4. Opening Entrance 49-B// The computer told him helpfully. He snatched his arm back as the locking mechanisms released and the rock started, sliding out of the way of a dark hole that was the entrance into a long passageway. Tacky, but it worked and that's what mattered.   
  
He slid into the long hall and heard the rock move back in position behind him. After it was secured, the darkness persisted for a few seconds more before the hall lights came on. He sighed and started walking. He'll probably have to go through Odine first before he talk to Rinoa, and he wasn't looking forward to it.   
  
****   
  
Selphie fidgeted.   
  
"Quit that." Squall said under his breath, his lips barely moving. To anyone who wasn't watching the Balamb Commander with the utmost care, it would've seemed like he didn't say anything at all. Selphie straightened and tried to not fidget, OR tug down the skirt of her SeeD dress-uniform. Her commander didn't look any more comfortable in it than she did, but he was still able to stand as still as a statue.   
  
Selphie decided that it must be a natural ability. Even Quistis was starting to made slight faces at the uncomfortable uniforms, and Quistis had a high tolerance. She wished Zell was here--he was running a bit late because technically Instructors weren't on the invite list for top secret meetings--he would be here in a few more minutes, but in a few more minutes she just might tear her own clothes off and scream.   
  
The thought was amusing. She wondered what Squall and Quistis would say if she did that.   
  
Matron would probably smile, and tell her in that gentle way of hers to find something less constricting to wear. They were finally going to see that smile again. Just the thought made Selphie grin from ear to ear.   
  
Discomfort temporarily forgotten, she turned to Squall and asked for the tenth time since 8am this morning: "When will Matron get here?"   
  
"Selphie..." Squall looked away quickly before meeting her eyes, a motion familiar to Selphie as one he substituted for a rolling of eyes or a snort of exasperation. "You've asked that ten times already."   
  
"She'll be arriving any time between 8 and 9, we established that." Quistis lectured in her instructor's voice, but she was smiling indulgently. They were in Squall's office, a short elevator's ride to the balcony side where Edea would be arriving. Quistis and Selphie were in the SeeD dress uniforms for women: Dark, high-collared and tight, not designed for either battle or comfort. Squall was decked out similarly in the uniform for men and he would be dashingly handsome if only he didn't have the slightly disgruntled expression at being subjected to this torture on his face. But proper etiquette was required and Selphie guessed they'd have to be formal even if it killed them.   
  
"Ah, hell..." Selphie muttered as she reached up and loosened her collar, a bit more roughly than necessary. "I can't breathe in this." She explained as Squall gave her a narrow-eyed look. "I promise I'll close it back up when the announcement comes..."   
  
"While we're all here, we might as well get something done." Quistis said with cool efficiency. "Selphie, Squall, regarding that man Zone was talking about..." From somewhere she produced a folder, Selphie wasn't sure where. "Here's all the information we have on him, which isn't much, by the way." Squall nodded, he had seen the contents. "Selphie, you've already set your intelligence on this?"   
  
"Yeah." she took the folder and flipped through it even though she had seen it already. "Not much to work with, you know...? All we have for a description is that he wears black, and sunglasses, obsessively. We don't even have an image of him anywhere..." Something beeped and Squall went for his comm, but paused when his sharp ears located the real source.   
  
"Selphie." He gestured toward her back pocket. The petite woman blinked, when the noise came again she jumped. "Your comm."   
  
"Actually, it's my scheduler making that noise--one of my people's a genius with electronics, she helped me program these things-- " Selphie fished out her communicator and started punching in things, and the beeping stopped. "let's see, this is just reminder for..." She trailed off and when she stayed quiet, both Squall and Quistis gave her a questioning look. "Ah...it's nothing." She smiled sadly, and handed over her comm when Quistis held out a hand.   
  
The blond instructor skimmed the message, then passed it to Squall. He stared at it, before passing it back to Selphie. "What is this?"   
  
The Commander of Trabia Garden looked at the simple text message with a small smile. "A message to myself, of course. Remember those parties I used to throw when Sir Laguna came over to Balamb?" She grinned. "Those surprise birthday parties? Yeah, he loved those...this was how I kept track of everyone's birthday, you see. I just enter the dates in and the thing reminds me a month before." She turned it off and stuffed it back in her pocket, smile starting to look a bit forced. "I guess I forgot to ...remove some people."   
  
"It's Laguna's birthday next month..." Quistis murmured, giving Squall a sympathetic glance. He didn't say anything, just kind of glared a little at the wall. "...Squall?"   
  
"I didn't know." He answered shortly. The girls gave him confused looks. "His birthday." their commander clarified. "What does it matter? It's not important anymore." Selphie remembered that. Squall never celebrated Laguna's birthday, and vice versa. She had always been puzzled until Squall had, after much badgering on her part, explained that it was a deal of sorts, made back when they were still on barely-speaking terms. Squall hadn't cared to know his father's birthday, and Laguna hadn't been able to handle celebration on a birthday that was also a death-day, for the woman he loved more than anything else. So they had agreed to not celebrate. That didn't mean Selphie refrained from throwing them lavish and crazy parties (Squall had been more displeased than surprised that one time they tried a surprise birthday party) though, they just didn't attend each others' celebrations.   
  
Before any of them could reflect at length on that, though, Squall's communicator beeped. Selphie quickly laid aside whatever lingering sadness that still plagued her and started buttoning up her collar. Squall gave them a brief nod after disconnecting. "Let's go." He said, turning on his heel and walking out to the elevator. "Zell's already on his way."   
  
****   
  
"Man, you look like shit." Raijin blurted out, then immediately winced and braced himself for a vicious kick to the shins. Fujin refrained, though, and merely glared.   
  
"STUPID." She told Raijin. Then to Seifer she said, "FEEL BETTER?"   
  
"A bit..." Seifer somehow managed to pull himself into a sitting position. "If I look half as bad as I feel, then Raijin just might be right." He winced as his head throbbed. Fujin walked over, stiff-backed as usual, and poured him a glass of water and held out some little pills. "Painkillers?" He asked.   
  
She nodded and he took them gratefully. "HERE. WHY. EXPLAIN." She said after he swallowed.   
  
"I think she wants ya to explain why you're here, man. We were worried, you know? Haven't heard or seen you in almost two months! Man, Fujin was in a cranky mood for the longest-" The red-eyed woman gave the rambling motormouth a glare and he shut up.   
  
Seifer laughed, it made his head hurt but he ignored it. Some things never changed and for that he was profoundly grateful. "Well, I was hoping you can tell me, since the last thing I remember is pissing off the pain-in-the-ass Sorceress and having her put my brain through a meat grinder." he drawled.   
  
"FOUND. OUTSIDE."   
  
"Yeah, we found you outside our door, man, out like a stone. The soldier that dropped you off said that the Sorceress wants ta see you as soon as you were awake and all, but he didn't explain why he dropped you off here, ya know? Not that I'm _complaining_, we were just curious cuz the Sorceress hasn't let us see you in _ages_ and we were beginning to think that you were dead or worse--"   
  
"Raijin, don't you EVER shut up, man? Or talk in non-run-on sentences?" Seifer laughed.   
  
"SEIFER. EXPLAIN."   
  
He had known these two for years, for almost as long as he could remember, and he easily understood Fujin's question. "I'm not sure what's going on either, Fujin. All I know is that I lost my temper something terrible last night, and said some pretty stupid things."   
  
"You and the sorceress had a fight?" Raijin guessed.   
  
"You can say that. I got pissed off and pointed my gunblade at her. She got pissed off and threatened to kill you two." It was no secret why Raijin and Fujin were here, although they were also vice-commanders in their own right. "I got more pissed off and told her how lousy she was. She didn't take it very well." He shrugged as if that explained everything. His expression darkened, "I think dumping me here is just another scare tactic. She wants me to see you two are all right, and that if I don't do what she wants, you two won't be untouched for very long." He rubbed absently at the scar across his brow, compliment of Squall Leonhart. No matter, he was the one who scarred the other's face first. "Shit, this is a fucked up mess."   
  
"PLAN?"   
  
"Nothing, at the moment." Seifer glared. "The bitch has me right where she wants me, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it except make HER life as miserable as I can."   
  
Fujin remained silent for a few moments, as if pulling her thoughts together. When she spoke again, her words were soft. "You don't have to stay here because of us, Seifer." She said, for once dropping her usual speech mode. "Leave her, and get far away from here. I..._we_, don't want to be the reason you're caged in."   
  
"You don't understand, Fuu." He sighed. "I..I can't leave you guys. Call it sentimental bullshit or whatever. We're a POSSE. Friends don't dump each other like that." He grinned wryly. "At least this time I'm in my right mind, I think." They cracked small smiles at that. "I'm not about to make the same mistake twice. We're going out or going down together, all three of us. Don't you forget it."   
  
***   
  
He heard the man before he saw him, a high-pitched, strangely accented voice yelling about something or another. He never got the hang of Odine's accent down, so he only caught some of what the little man was saying. "Vas vrong! Not zat one! Ze ODDA one!"   
  
"Hey." One of the lab technicians waved tiredly as he exited the passageway into a huge underground laboratory. "Odine's in a snit."   
  
"Thanks for the warning." He nodded as he waved back. "I'll watch myself."   
  
Odine hadn't changed. He was starting to think the scientist might be some god-like force, to be able to stay so annoyingly consistant. Or maybe a guardian force. Now THAT idea was laughable. Doctor Odine had spotted him and was now making his way over, waddling through his sea of techs and other assisstants like a duck in a field of lilies. The doctor still kept his trademark outfit, including the flouncy collar, and his hair was still in that ridiculous topknot. "Vat do you vant? Vhy do you disturb ze very important research thiz Odine vorks on?" he asked shrewishly, his beady eyes narrowed.   
  
"Nothing, Odine. Just dropping by to check on Rinoa, that's all." He said with his hands held up in a placating position. "No trouble."   
  
"No trouble." Odine spat. "That iz a bunch of liez! Every time you are here, you are trouble. Odine vill not get much science done vith you here. Now get going! Sooner zat you are gone, sooner I'll rest in peace!"   
  
"I love you too." He replied sarcastically. "It might help if you tell me where Rin is, since this place is bigger than my old house and I'm not that great of a navigator. Unless you WANT me to get lost in here..."   
  
"No!" Odine declared. "Ze Sorceress iz on ze twenty-second floor. Room AD-890. Get out of here!"   
  
He waved nonchalantly and turned on a heel, heading towards what he helped was a lift.   
  
***   
  
End chapter 4 


End file.
